Automotive Cockpit & ADAS/AD Technology Trends

The automotive industry is undergoing significant transformation driven by key macro trends:
autonomous vehicles, digital cockpits, electrification, and shared mobility. Autonomous systems,
ranging from basic driver assistance to fully autonomous Level 5, are reshaping vehicle architecture,
particularly in electronics and software integration.

The Digital Cockpit is becoming the nerve center of the vehicle, combining the instrument cluster,
infotainment, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) into a single, unified interface.

 Connected Cars: With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), connected cars can
communicate with external devices, the cloud, and other vehicles, enabling features such as
real-time traffic updates, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air software updates.

 ECU Consolidation: In today’s vehicles, Electronic Control Units (ECUs) are dedicated to
specific functions, leading to an increase in the number of ECUs as more features are added.
The shift is towards consolidating multiple ECUs into domain controllers, which centralize
computing tasks and reduce complexity.

 Cockpit for Autonomous Vehicles: As vehicles move towards higher levels of autonomy, the
cockpit will need to evolve to accommodate hands-off driving. This means integrating
advanced displays, augmented reality (AR) overlays, and driver monitoring systems to ensure
safety and usability in autonomous modes.

### ECU Consolidation and Centralized Computing

In the past, vehicles relied on a modular architecture with 30 to 100+ Electronic Control Units (ECUs)
dedicated to specific functions, leading to increased complexity, weight, and power consumption.
However, with advancements in silicon and software, the shift towards domain-based ECUs has
reduced costs, weight, and energy usage by consolidating multiple functions. Today’s domain ECUs
leverage innovations in computing power while simplifying vehicle architecture.

Looking ahead, **redundant computing platforms** will enable parallel computing, providing
redundancy and enhanced safety features. This shift will incorporate Service-Oriented Architecture
(SOA) with direct memory access for faster and more efficient operations, offering an open, scalable
platform for seamless Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) system integration.

In the future, **centralized computing platforms** will dynamically configure resources and ensure
seamless redundancy. This evolution will further optimize cost, weight, and power distribution, while
enhancing security and flexibility. With SOA and network-based access, vehicles will adopt a blade-
upgradable concept, allowing continuous upgrades and ensuring the system remains future-proof.

Motivation and Impacts for a New EE Architecture

As vehicles become increasingly autonomous and connected, the demands on electrical/electronic

(E/E) architectures are evolving rapidly. Traditional E/E architectures, relying on a modular design
with 30 to 100+ ECUs, are becoming outdated, unable to meet the demands of modern applications
like autonomous driving, electric mobility, and enhanced digital cockpit systems. These architectures
present challenges in terms of weight, power consumption, cost, and scalability, pushing the
automotive industry towards a new paradigm: Zonal E/E architectures.

The integration of Automotive Ethernet Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a key enabler for the
transformation of future E/E systems. By converting the vehicle network into an IP-based, end-to-end
real-time communication network, TSN allows for intelligent data and power distribution throughout
the vehicle, significantly improving efficiency, flexibility, and safety. The new E/E architecture is built
around centralized processing units, enabling advanced control and communication while reducing
wiring complexity, energy consumption, and weight.

Zonal EE Architecture

a. Architecture Development

The evolution towards Zonal EE Architecture represents a fundamental change in how automotive
systems are organized. Instead of individual ECUs being distributed throughout the vehicle, Zonal
architectures consolidate control within three key domains:

 ADAS Super Core: Handles advanced driver-assistance systems, enabling functions like
adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automated driving.

 Body Super Core: Manages essential body control functions such as lighting, locking, and
environmental systems.

 Cockpit Super Core: Integrates display technologies, infotainment, and driver interfaces,
creating a seamless digital cockpit experience.

In this architecture, sensors and actuators are connected to Zonal Gateway ECUs, which serve as the
localized control points within specific areas (zones) of the vehicle. These zonal ECUs provide the
necessary computational power, distribute data, and manage communication between devices,
reducing the complexity and length of wiring harnesses by up to 50%.

b. Power Distribution

The new architecture also introduces an intelligent, hierarchical power distribution system, including
a dual battery scenario. By integrating electronic switches and eFuses into zonal gateways, vehicles
can move beyond the traditional central fuse box towards virtualized fuse management, with
customizable fuse characteristics. This innovation allows for optimized power distribution, advanced
fault prediction based on real-time voltage and current sensing, and further reductions in vehicle
weight and cost.

Intelligent power management enables vehicles to dynamically allocate power based on load
requirements, promoting energy efficiency and providing enhanced safety through predictive
diagnostics. This system not only improves reliability but also allows for real-time adjustments in
power distribution, further enhancing overall vehicle performance.

c. Zonal Gateways and Super Cores

Zonal Gateways are key to the functioning of zonal E/E architecture. They act as a central hub within
a vehicle zone, handling data transmission, power distribution, and supporting various sensors,
actuators, and displays. Zonal gateways combine multiple functionalities:

 Data distribution: Providing real-time, deterministic communication via Automotive Ethernet

TSN.
  Power delivery: Powering devices using Power over Data Lines (PoDL) and power cables.

 Computation power: Offering scalable computational capabilities with MCU and application
cores.

Above the zonal gateways are Super Cores, which serve as centralized computing platforms. Acting
as in-vehicle application servers, Super Cores support Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA),
facilitating seamless integration of multiple systems. These multi-System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms
feature advanced interfaces (Multi GiG) and can be upgraded or scaled over time. Additionally, Super
Cores manage critical vehicle functions and connect to edge computing or cloud services, ensuring
real-time processing and decision-making.

Example for Topology Optimization

The adoption of Zonal EE architectures offers a significant reduction in the complexity and length of
wiring harnesses, providing up to 50% savings. To achieve this, ECUs are mapped onto the vehicle
layout, with the wiring harness being generated automatically. Advanced algorithms are used to
route wires efficiently, reducing connection lengths and allowing for sub-harnesses with shorter,
optimized wiring. This not only cuts costs and weight but also enables automated manufacturing
processes, enhancing production scalability.

By introducing 6 to 11 vehicle zones, the trade-off between savings on the wiring harness and
expenses for zonal gateway ECUs becomes manageable. These uniform zonal ECUs can be applied
across different vehicle variants, trim levels, and platforms, enabling widespread use and increasing
production efficiency.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

The shift towards Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is another key driver in modern E/E systems.
Unlike traditional architectures, where functions are tightly coupled with specific ECUs, SOA
decouples functions from hardware, allowing them to be implemented as services distributed across
multiple ECUs or domains. This abstraction simplifies the overall system by allowing services to
communicate over an IP-based network, improving flexibility, scalability, and portability.

SOA allows multiple software suppliers to deliver services to the same ECU, promoting a high level of
modularity and reusability. Standards such as Adaptive AUTOSAR and SOME/IP facilitate this
transition by providing common APIs and middleware to support the architecture.

Key benefits of SOA include:

 Increased flexibility: Functions can be relocated to different ECUs or domains without

changing the physical architecture.

 Onboard/offboard split: SOA enables a split between functions that run on the vehicle and
those that rely on cloud or edge computing, supporting more advanced vehicle capabilities.

 Reusability: Software components can be easily reused across different vehicle models,
reducing development time and costs.

Challenges

While Zonal EE architectures and SOA offer numerous benefits, they also present several challenges:
  Safety and standards: Ensuring compliance with safety standards such as ASIL and
addressing gaps in existing standards remain critical. The combination of power and data
distribution in a single architecture also introduces EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
challenges.

 Heat dissipation: High-performance computing units and power switches generate heat,
which needs to be managed within the limited space available in vehicles.

 System partitioning: Deciding where data processing should occur (e.g., in smart sensors,
zonal ECUs, or central nodes) is critical to maintaining low latency and efficient data flow.

 Collaboration models: OEMs, Tier 1, and Tier 2 suppliers must collaborate closely to develop
and deploy cutting-edge ECU components, such as TSN-enabled switches and eFuses, while
addressing production challenges across global manufacturing sites.

Conclusion

The future of automotive E/E architecture is centered around the transition to zonal systems and
service-oriented designs. These innovations address the growing complexity of modern vehicles by
reducing wiring harnesses, consolidating ECUs, and introducing flexible, scalable platforms. While
there are still technical and organizational challenges to overcome, the advantages of Zonal EE
architecture, including reduced weight, cost, and enhanced power management, are paving the way
for the next generation of intelligent, connected, and autonomous vehicles. As automotive Ethernet
TSN and SOA gain traction, the industry moves closer to a unified, highly efficient vehicle architecture
that balances performance, safety, and cost.